Sarah Palin endorses Donald Trump

The former governor of Alaska and 2008 vice-presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, has confirmed she will endorse controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump in Iowa on Tuesday (local time).

Ms Palin is the highest profile backing Mr Trump as a Republican contender, and in a statement she expressed she was "proud to endorse Donald J Trump for president", the New York Times reports.

For Mr Trump the endorsement couldn’t have come from a better reference, as Ms Palin worked for years to develop support in Iowa. He acknowledged this in his own statement, along with thanking Ms Palin for her endorsement.

"[Ms Palin] is a friend, and a high-quality person whom I have great respect for. I am proud to have her support.

"There are the Tea Party activists who still think she's great and a breath of fresh air, but she also did a good job of courting Republican donors in the state,” he said.

Ms Palin will appear alongside Mr Trump at a rally at Iowa State University. It is suspected her presence will amplify media coverage.